Gens Heredis
by pallas laverna
Summary: Even if I die tomorrow," She said, "I will die happy, knowing I have won, one over on Voldemort. Take them your message, let them know. He is coming.”


It had been two weeks since the holiday started and Harry had still had no word from anyone. He was used to this treatment and knew it was necessary, but it didn't stop him hoping that, when he went to get the post in the morning, there would be a letter waiting for him. Harry knew Dumbledore felt it was too risky using owl post but Voldemort wasn't keeping tabs on the Muggle methods of communication, so a phone call or letter wasn't going to be too risky. Still, this morning, as with most other mornings, there was only junk mail, Aunt Petunia's two bottles of milk she had delivered every morning to supplement Dudley's already extortionate diet, and the stubborn black cat that had taken to sitting on the porch.

Harry wasn't fond of this cat. It looked like it had been in a few fights judging by the nasty scratch on its face and it stared at him in what he was sure was a condescending way, and had he been Dudley, he would have probably kicked it by now. But, growing up these last few years in the wizarding world made Harry question everything. There was every possibility that the cat wasn't actually a cat but an Animagus sent to make sure he was alright and not getting into any trouble. It sounded paranoid but he had been guarded last year during the summer holidays, and all things considered it wasn't really an unreasonable suspicion.

Harry shot a reproving glare at the cat, so if it was a person it would know he didn't like being watched. '_Merlin I feel like an idiot'_ Harry thought, but he could have sworn the cat grinned. He picked up the post and the milk then went back inside.

Life with the Dursleys was as monotonous as usual. Dudley wasn't getting any better tempered, particularly with Aunt Petunia now constantly fussing over him because she knew and understood about Lord Voldemort. Only Aunt Petunia could begin to comprehend that they weren't safe just because they were Muggles, that Lord Voldemort would kill them all given half the chance.

Harry knew that Aunt Petunia didn't want him in the house, compromising her darling Dudley's safety. He could tell by the way she became tight lipped around him, by the way she clenched her fingers until her knuckles became white, by how she snapped at Vernon whenever he so much as drew attention to Harry in a positive or negative way. Harry prefered this silent treatment to the usual abuse he recieved from them, but in some ways he would have given anything to have an understanding adult to talk to. Someone like Lupin, someone like Sirius...

Harry started dwelling on the strange cat again to stop himself thinking about his recently deceased Godfather. It was just too painful to think about.

* * *

Dumbledore sat in the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. The place was uncharacteristically quiet without the brooding presence of its former owner, Sirius Black, who had perished in the fight against Voldemort's Death Eaters just a few weeks ago. Dumbledore sighed heavily. These were going to be dark times, and it wasn't going to be easy on anyone but particularly not on Harry, who was going to need all the help he could get to survive, not the danger of Voldemort and his followers, but the emotional strain the year was bound to put upon him. Dumbledore's eyes glittered sadly at the thought of the sixteen year old who really didn't deserve any of this, but he had to return to his work.

Dumbledore had been spending the last two weeks gathering the wanderers, witches and wizards who were of British nationality, or who had worked for the British Ministry of Magic, but no longer lived in Britain.

He had already contacted Charlotte McKinnon , a wandering gypsy who had spent most of the last fifteen years or so travelling all across Europe to develop her knowledge of the art of healing. Her aunt Marlene had served and died in the Order when Voldemort was first at large and she was a faithful server of Dumbledore's. She had returned with her teenage daughter the second he called, dropping whatever it was she might have been doing at the time to 'carry out her duty'.

The Edwards, another nomadic family who travelled all round Europe fighting dark creatures and troublesome giants, dragons and the like, had returned of their own accord when they had heard through Charlie Weasley in Romania of the problems back in Britain.

Dietrich Edwards, a German born wizard, would be invaluable to the Order. He had, in Dumbledore's opinion, just the right levels of loyalty, disregard for the rules and authority, infamy and charisma to cause havoc among the still too idle Ministry. Dietrich was one of those people who could get people to do anything he wanted and he and his wife Naomi were both fully qualified Aurors of a high rank, just right for entering the Ministry at a very high level very quickly. Dumbledore had to repress a smile at the mischief of it.

There were a few others that needed to be chased up but Dumbledore didn't think it would be too difficult. His last task for the day was to find a replacement Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. It was going to be a difficult post to fill, especially in these times, and with the growing Taboo being placed on the job due to no teacher lasting longer than a year for the last five years. However, Dumbledore thought Charlie, who was proving to be an excellent recruiter, even placed out in Romania, had found him the perfect candidate.

Ginny Weasley was listening to Ron and Hermione fight for the hundredth time over something trivial when the door opened. Dumbledore had mentioned something about newcomers and Ginny walked out of the living room and into the corridor to warn them about making too much noise. The last thing anyone wanted was another wrestle with Mrs. Black. Not only did it remind them too keenly of the loss of Sirius, it left them all with a headache. Standing in the doorway to the Order HQ were two very wet, cloaked figures. British weather was doing its usual trick, raining heavily and virtually non-stop, and these two had received the full force of it waiting for the Muggles to clear off the streets so they could enter the building without worrying about seeming to disappear. The slightly taller of the two removed her dripping cloak and Ginny stepped forwards to take it from her.

"You must be Mrs. McKinnon?" Ginny questioned.

"Ms, and call me Charlie anyway!" the woman said cheerfully. "You must be a Weasley, no mistaking that red hair!"

Ginny smiled, she got this alot. When people like Malfoy said it, it was offensive, but when Charlie said it, it was just a friendly comment and Ginny didn't mind.

"Yes," she said, "I'm Ginny. Would you like some help with your bags? Dumbledore won't be back for a while but he left us with instructions to make you as comfortable as possible!"

"Well, that was kind of him," Charlie replied, "and a hand with these bags would be brilliant."

Ginny called for her brother and Hermione, who eventually stopped bickering long enough to carry the bags into the kitchen. Once in the warmth of the kitchen, the second cloaked figure removed their cloak.

"Hi! I'm Erin," she said, shaking her short hair free of water. She looked alot like her mother, Charlie. They had the same round smiling faces. The only difference between them was Erin had light brown hair instead of blond and she had a streak of black in her hair that fell over her eyes like a long fringe and their eyes weren't the same colour.

"Erin here is fifteen, she'll be joining you at Hogwarts in September," Charlie said, "I'll leave you to get introduced!" and she left the room.

"So, where are you from?" Hermione asked.

"England," Erin told her, "I've just not been living here most of my life."

Her accent was odd,it sounded like a mix of all kind of accents , and her skin was bronzed, apparently from spending a lot of time in warmer countries, closer to the Mediterranean.

She seemed very friendly .She was already talking to Hermione about all sorts of muggle things, like books and movie stars, none of which Ginny had heard of, though she could tell from the excited giggles coming from Hermione that they were popular in the Muggle world. Ginny thought this would be good for Hermione. She had spent too much time in the company of Harry and Ron and Ron was enough to drive anyone mad, having some girl company would be nice for her. Ginny smiled to herself and left the room to write a letter to Charlie and Bill who were still abroad.

* * *

A tall, striking man with dark hair and pale skin walked quickly through the crowded streets of London. He followed the path of the Thames River, passing the Muggles who had painted themselves gold and were pretending to be statues beneath the shadow of the London Eye, muttering in German about the absurd ways of Muggles and the technology they used to get round not having magic.

"Speak English dad, you sound like such a tourist!" said the seventeen-year-old girl who was walking beside him. Like her Father she was tall and had striking dark hair, which currently she had pinned up. She was alot like her Father but she moved with an elegant grace, rather than the angry strides he took.

The Muggles paid little attention to them as they pushed through the throngs of people out shopping, blissfully oblivious that there was a dangerous mass murderer quickly regaining followers and power in a world very few of them knew existed. Though the girl was a real head-turner with her pale skin contrasting against her dark hair, striking blue eyes and an odd scar that looked more like an open wound running diagonally across her neck, the busy Muggles had no time for them and they passed virtually unnoticed.

"Where are we going anyway?" the girl asked, "This better be good because I've been bored all morning." she added with haughty contention. She spoke with a strong German accent.

"Your job is as important as any, don't complain," her Father said.

"I know! But that doesn't mean it isn't boring. You try sitting in one place all day..." she trailed off, muttering under her breath.

"We are going to an antique weapons dealer." her Father told her.

"Oh good, I need some more crossbow bolts. I used the last of mine on that Dragon." she said a little more enthusiastically, touching her scarred neck gingerly.

"That was what I had in mind, along with a couple of other purchases..." He told her, trailing off cryptically. Her interest was captured, the girl followed her father without another question.

* * *

Remus Lupin was waiting in Heathrow airport for the arrival of Hogwarts latest employee. Dumbledore had finally finished the formalities behind signing up the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, though everyone had known from the start that there was only one candidate worth considering.

As apparating over such long distances was risky, and travelling by floo powder or brooms left you vulnerable to attack by Voldemort, everyone was travelling by Muggle modes of transport. They were costly and slow but safer. Lupin looked out of place in his shabby overcoat, standing among all the Muggle businessmen and women, but he wasn't concerned about Muggle opinions. He just continued to watch the arrivals board, watching for the plane from Romania to land.

Exactly on time, and Lupin knew enough of the Muggle world to know this was a rarity, the plane touched down in London Heathrow and after ten minutes or so of waiting, Lupin saw the new Professor, standing out among the crowds because of their strange luggage.

Lupin stepped forwards to introduce himself."Ana Varias?" he asked of the strange woman.

"Remus Lupin?" she asked back, her thick Romanian accent adding strange intonations to his name.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Remus said, shaking her hand.

She smiled a wry smile, her hair, red enough to rival even the Weasleys, framing her oval face. She was a petite woman, pretty and delicate. _Like a glass rose... _Lupin thought. But her grip and handshake were firm and assured, belying her fragile nature.  
"The pleasures, all mine." she said politely.

Lupin moved to pick up her bags, then walked with her out to the Muggle taxi he had booked previously, using Muggle money thoughtfully donated by Hermione's parents who were eager to help in whatever limited ways they could.

"Flight wasn't too bad I hope?" Lupin asked, just to make polite conversation.

"Sure beats flying that distance on a broomstick!" Ana joked, "I got my own 'in-flight entertainment system'" She pronounced the words like they were foreign. Lupin himself didn't know what an 'In-flight entertainment system' was. "Even Firebolts don't come equipped with one of those!" she finished with a bewitching smile.

Lupin felt his heart leap to his throat as he looked into her brown eyes, a feeling he hadn't felt since when he was at Hogwarts. He berated himself in his head - he was just far too old and sensible to be feeling things like that. Still, the gentle smile and laugh of Ana was causing his heart to beat faster, not matter how 'old and sensible' he thought he was.

It had been an interesting week for Lupin, this meeting with Ana was just the tail end of it. First it had been being reunited with Charlotte McKinnon, who had been a friend of Lily's and therefore a friend of his at school. Though it had been over fifteen years since he had last seen her she hadn't changed a bit, and now she had a teenage daughter who was the picture of the Josie he had known back then, barring a few 'deliberate mistakes' in her appearance.

Charlie's upbeat nature was enough to turn the mood round in 12 Grimmauld place within a few hours. It was nice that the place had some life back in it, and it was oddly appropriate that it was Charlie who had done it. Sirius had always had a soft spot for her back in school.

Then he had met up with Naomi Edwards, another old friend from school, who was still the dainty quiet woman he had known, despite nearly twenty years of being with Dietrich, who was far from dainty and far from quiet.

Naomi, who was of Japanese descent, was the resident expert on all things Muggle. She would have known what an 'In flight entertainment system' was. Remus made a mental note to ask her next time he saw her.

* * *

Erin McKinnon liked it in Grimmauld Place. It appealed to the Gothic side of her nature. It was a little odd though, she thought, that everyone in the house was acting like someone had _died_. Yes, the place was a bit on the creepy side, but it wasn't _that_ depressing.

England didnt have the weather of South France, nor the views of Spain, or the food of Italy, but Erin liked being back home. She could only remember a select few things about her old home. It had been in the countryside somewhere but that went without saying, her Mum was such a hippie, Erin doubted she could survive long in a city. She could remember that it had only been a small house, two bedrooms at most, and on the outskirts of a village with a very high wizard and witch population. Unlike in Europe, there were very few villages in England that were entirely made up of the magical community. Erin remembered that her Mother had been like a Wise Woman, brewing the potions and healing the wounds of the magical half of the community, and a source of entertainment to the Muggles. They had never much appreciated Erin's mother's lifestyle, or her '_craft_'. Erin laughed to herself at this memory. Yes, she was glad to be back in the country.

"Hey Erin!" Ron called, "Harry should be coming to stay here for the rest of the holidays today!"

Erin smiled at his enthusiasm. During the week or so she had spent here Erin had already bonded well with Hermione, Ron and Ginny, and the other Weasleys Fred and George when they were around. She was even beginning to plot ways she could convince the Sorting Hat to put her in Gryffindor with them, not that she was particularly worried. Her mother had been in Gryffindor when she was in school. As for her father, she didn't know. She didn't even know his name. People who met Erin thought this was odd and often asked her if she found it strange and why didn't she ask her mother for more information? But, the truth was, Erin didn't care. How could you miss what you had never had?

"Cool!" she replied.

She had heard a lot about Harry off Ron and Hermione. They both seemed very anxious about him. From what she could gather from their unwilling conversation about this time last year, he had done something stupid then shouted at them. Or something like that anyway.

"When's he arriving?" she asked.

"Lunchtime-ish according to Mum," Ron responded.

Erin looked at her watch. Ten-thirty. That gave her a few hours to prepare for meeting The Boy Who Lived. Erin had to repress a giggle at this thought. A real life celebrity! Though she would have much rather have met Johnny Depp.... but... beggars can't be choosers!

"He's a really nice guy..." Ron said a little nervously, like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else. Erin just rolled her eyes at this then went to the living room to play cards with Ginny and kill some time while she waited.

* * *

Harry sat in his room, bored of the virtual house arrest. He opened the window to let in the fresh air he couldn't wish more than to walk outside in, other than his daily trip to pick up the post and milk. It had been another week and still nothing. Harry was worried for his sanity, living with the Dursleys did bad things to anyone's head, but it was ten times worse when you didn't have anything to take your mind off it.

The light padding of feet on his windowsill brought Harry back to the present. He looked up to see the cat sat stretching on his windowsill, apparently as bored as he was. Disregarding all caution, Harry wandered over to it and stroked it. The cat turned its unnaturally blue eyes on him, regarding him with a curious yet scathing look.

'_You think you have troubles? You don't know the half of it!_' it's face said.

"Don't I?" Harry responded to the fictional question. "I'm trapped here all day, with my awful cousin and an Aunt who won't acknowledge my presence in case it unleashes as curse!" Harry shook his head in exasperation. "And now I'm talking to a cat!" he laughed, stroking between the black cat's ears, noting the nasty scratch on its nose. _'That cat must always be getting in fights',_ he thought.  
"Been in another fight kitty?" he continued his monologue, "You should stay away from trouble, lay low a while! That's what I have to do."

Harry wandered over to his bed and lay back on it, staring at the blank ceiling, wishing he was back at Hogwarts. He would have given anything to be in that castle right now.

"You know, I know you are probably an Animagus, and that one day I will never hear the end of this, but just for the record, this what is keeping me trapped here drives me too. Why can't I be back at the Headquarters with everyone else. I know Hermione and Ron are probably there, having a relatively good time, and here's me, reduced to talking to a cat!"

The cat gave him a haughty look, as if to say _'Don't you appreciate my company?'_ It curled it's tail in an idyllic fashion, yawning widely and raking its claws across the windowsill. Then, almost as suddenly as it had appeared, it vanished, jumping back up on the roof and out of site. Harry was quite sorry to see it go.

A loud crack sounded somewhere outside and Harry's heart leapt to his throat. Was Voldemort bold enough to attack in broad daylight, or was this his ticket out of here. In his current state of mind both seemed appealing to Harry. He crept over to the window and listened for voices.

"Nice place!" said a female voice he didn't recognise.

"A little too _suburban_ for you I can imagine..." drawled the unmistakeable voice of Proffessor Snape. Harry, who still nurtured the private resentment for Snape, and the belief that he couldn't possibly have made a full turn around, still wasn't sure if he was dead or out of here.

"No need to be so condescending _Snivillus_" the woman said. "You haven't changed one bit have you?"

If Snape replied Harry didn't hear, he was too busy searching his mind. Where had he heard that nickname before? Then he remembered. It had been his father's nickname for Snape, back when they had been at school together. He had seen it in Dumbledore's Pensieve. Was this woman one of his father's friends?

Harry stepped nervously to the top of the stairs and was surprised to hear the doorbell. That made up his mind. Voldemort's followers wouldn't have knocked, they'd have barged straight in. He was going to the HQ again!

Aunt Petunia opened the door and let out a horrified shriek. "You!" she hissed.

"Yup, me!" The woman replied. "Nice to see you too, Petunia!"

"I thought you left the country." Petunia said, no more politely.

"Well, I'm back, circumstances as they are and all!" The woman replied cheerily.

"Get a move on Charlotte and get the boy so we can go!" Snape muttered.

Harry sprinted back to his room and grabbed his already packed trunk and Hedwig's cage. Glancing quickly over the room he made sure he had everything and went downstairs.

"Don't think much of the decor..." the woman said, apparently still dawdling. "Oh, and you actually married that lump Vernon! You know, Lily always thought you could have done better for yourself...."

"Don't you mention my sister!" Petunia hissed in a voice Harry thought she only used on him and the neighbors next door.

"Sorry!" the woman said, sounding a little annoyed. "Well, where is Harry anyway?"

"I'm here!" Harry said, and the blonde woman who had previously had her back to him, turned round.

"Wow! Aren't you just the spiting image of James!" she said, "Isn't he Sniv... I mean Severus?"

Snape just scowled at her. "I'm Charlotte McKinnon, but everyone calls me Charlie!" The woman said, extending her hand. Harry shook it cautiously, a little overwhelmed by her exuberant nature. "I used to be in the year below your mother and father at Hogwarts." Harry could only nod, still a little lost for words.

"Can we just go?" Snape asked impatiently, and they made their way out of the door.

* * *

Bill met up with his brother Charlie in the airport. They had decided to travel together for safety, and also to make the long journey less boring. Bill had been back in Egypt, finishing up some of his old work and contacting a few wizards and witches who he thought might want to get involved in the Order. He had a surprisingly difficult time convincing them to come back with him, but he had recruited a couple of people.

Charlie had finally given up his job in Romania to work for the Order full time as he felt he could be more useful back home than out in the middle of Europe. Though the times they would have to face would be difficult, Charlie was glad he was going back to his family, and was looking forwards to catching up with everyone.

Sitting on the plane together, trying not to look too conspicuous in their oddity, the oldest of the Weasley children prepared for their first flight on a plane. "Well, it's warmer than a broomstick, but I think I prefer the latter." Bill said some time later.

"Have to agree with you on that one!" Charlie said, looking down at the free magazine he had folded into a miniature Dragon out of boredom. If they hadn't been among so many Muggles, Charlie would have had it breathing fire and flying by now. The small, immobile Origami model was tame and boring in comparison and he handed it to a small Muggle boy who accepted it with glee and proceeded to animate it with sound effects and arm movements, much to the annoyance of the grumpy looking Muggle trying to get to sleep beside him.

"Do you remember much of the Edwards ?" Charlie asked Bill suddenly.

"That Auror family Mum used to baby-sit for awhile ?" Bill asked, "They had a little girl?"

"That's them, except their girl isn't so little anymore." Charlie said.

"No, she was about Ron's age wasn't she? Why do you ask anyway?"

"I met up with them a couple of weeks ago. They are working for the Order now." Charlie told him.

"Good to have a few more Aurors on the team." Bill said. "Will be nice for Hermione to have some female company as well, can imagine that poor girl has gone stir crazy with only Ron for company!" Bill joked.

"From Ginny's letters I think it's safe to say they are both as bad as each other!" Charlie laughed. "And I doubt Helen will be spending much time with the other kids, she's more likely to be out with the rest of the Order stalking Death Eaters!"

"Do you know anything of the Order's plans then?" Bill asked.

"Other than trailing 'reformed' Death Eaters and trying to get some clue as to what You-Know-Who is doing, no." Charlie said, "I think mostly we are going to be recruiting and trying to get some sort of regime going in the Ministry according to Dumbledore they are still not really doing much. Putting articles about self-defence in the Daily Prophet is one thing, but actually making positive steps towards preventing the massacre of sixteen years ago is another apparently."

"Good old Fudge, he never did have his head screwed on properly when it came to doing anything remotely discouraging." Bill said a little scathingly. "He's all for promoting things that make him look good, but try and get him to stop Quidditch cups to concentrate more money and effort on stopping You-Know-Who and you've got another thing coming!"

Charlie smiled wearily, feeling all of his brother's frustration. As the plane brought him ever closer to London, he could only hope that Dumbledore's plan to exert some pressure on the Ministry without causing too much trouble was working.

* * *

Harry arrived at the Headquarters shortly after lunch, hungry and tired after a tiring journey on the Knight Bus. Though the distance was hardly long, especially considering the speed of the Knight bus, spending time with Snape and remaining civil was hard work, as was the Knight bus itself. Considerably more bruised than he had been before he left Privet Drive, he dumped his bags in the kitchen and followed the sound of his friend's voices to the living room.

He hesitated before entering. It was so difficult for him just being in this house again. He hadn't really thought much about Sirius lately, he had been too busy wallowing in his own self pity, but now, being here, in his house, half expecting his godfather to come charging round the corner to greet him, the full force of his guilt and loss hit him. It was almost unbearable. Harry silently vowed to survive and defeat Voldemort, simply for the sake of having revenge for his Godfather, if nothing else.

The truth was, there were a lot of people Harry wanted to get revenge for. Cedric Diggory, whose life had been cut tragically short, Neville, who had suffered so much at his hands, his parents, who had died trying to protect him, Professor Lupin, who Voldemort had taken so much from, Sirius....

Harry sighed heavily then stepped into the warm glow of the living room, letting the heat of the fire wash his troubles away, if only for the time being.

"Harry!" Squealed the excited voice of Hermione, Harry's best friend, along with Ron, in the whole world. She threw her arms round his neck and hugged him tight. Harry hugged her back, as joyous as she was to be reunited after three weeks apart.

"Not been missing me too much then?" Harry asked with a smile.

Hermione beamed at him, though Harry thought he could detect a hint of relief in her eyes. He couldn't really blame her, last time he had been kept in the dark like this he had blown up at her and Ron, though now Harry knew that life was far too short to blame people for things that weren't their fault, and he certainly wasn't going to shout at his friends again.

"How are you doing, mate?" Ron asked, doing the typical guy thing and hiding how glad he really was to see Harry.

"Good thanks, it's good to be back," Harry said, nodding to his friend.

"Are you goons going to stand there staring all afternoon or are you going to introduce me?" asked a new, but strangely familiar voice.

Hermione and Ron moved to the side to reveal a girl who Harry immediately assumed was related to Charlotte , they had exactly the same face and virtually the same manner. She grinned and waved cheerfully, just as her Mother had done.

"This is Erin, Harry, she's going to be coming to Hogwarts with us this year!" Hermione said, trying not to laugh at Erin, who was now bowing grandly to Harry.

"Nice to meet you!" Erin said, holding out a hand for Harry to shake. Harry obliged and smiled at her. When his hand touched hers he felt something he hadn't felt since the first time he had caught Cho's eye on the Quidditch pitch. Small electric shocks crawled through his skin and his stomach seemed to be performing somersaults.

"H-hi!" he managed to say.

Erin didn't seem to notice his stumble, she simply swept her dark fringe out of her eyes as if to get a better look at him. When his eyes met hers, Harry was in for another shock, Erin's eyes were exactly the same as Sirius. The same as Bellatrix Lestrange.

* * *

Naomi Edwards stood in the kitchen of the flat she and her family had rented, preferring to be slightly detached from the Order and therefore freer to move to their own agenda. Though she and Dietrich were entirely loyal to the Order and Dumbledore, they worked better when allowed to do what they wanted. Dietrich was currently out with their daughter Helen, hunting the streets of London for an antique shop that sold weapons.

Another perk to living in a Muggle apartment was the lack of magic. This meant Naomi could run her computers and gadgets, allowing her to scour the internet and other sources of Muggle communication, for suspicious deaths and mysterious occurrences that could provide a map of Voldemorts moves and whereabouts. Naomi had never been more grateful than she was now to her father for giving her a thorough grounding in hacking.

She was a pure blood witch from an ancient Japanese family, but her forefathers had always dabbled in Muggle business, especially that of computers which so fascinated them. Her Father had been best friends with a Muggle computer company tycoon and from them both she had learnt everything she knew. Her top of the range equipment was currently auto-searching the internet for anything even slightly related to the mysterious, ready for her to filter through later.

A knock on the door disturbed Naomi from her thoughts and she went to answer, cautiously checking through the spy hole in the door that she knew the person calling.

"Open the door Naomi !" called the familiar and welcome voice of Charlie, one of Naomi's oldest friends. Naomi had been a Ravenclaw, her two best friends had been the Gryffindors Lily and Charlie.

Charlie was a year younger than Lily but, other than in lessons, she had been included in pretty much everything that Lily did. Lily and Charlie had then, in turn, made the same allowances for Naomi, who had quickly been accepted by the group. Remus had been her study partner, James and Sirius her guardians, though she was one of the strongest witches academically, they had thought it necessary to protect her as she was a dainty five foot two, Peter had been her sympathetic friend and Lily and Charlie her consorts, advisers and all round best friends a girl could wish for. The only thing any of them had ever disagreed on seriously was the merit of a certain Dietrich Edwards. Naomi had certainly proved them all wrong on that point.

Naomi opened the door and let in her old friend, embracing her, glad to see she hadn't changed in the slightest, even after all these years.

"How are you doing Naomi?" Charlie asked enthusiastically, helping herself to some food.

"Fine, thank you, it's good to be back in England!" she said. She didn't speak with the harsh German accent both her husband and daughter used, but was soft and well spoken. Charlie had often teased her about 'Talking like a princess'.

"Glad to hear it!" Charlie said cheerily, "And how's that dreadful husband of yours?" Charlie asked teasingly. Naomi smiled indulgingly, letting the minor poke float over her.

"He's fine, out with Helen at the moment shopping."

The two friends had stayed in letter contact long enough to divulge that they had both had children, and even to send a couple of photos, but when Helen had turned four Naomi and Dietrich had left England, what they thought would be for good, and travelled all round Europe, staying mostly in Germany and Austria with Dietrich's family. After that, letters had got a bit erratic and then stopped altogether.

"Oh yes, I can't wait to meet her properly!" Charlie said. She had known Helen up to the age of three, but had never spoken to her since. "Will have to introduce her to my Erin!"

The old friends spoke for a long time about the 'good old days' when they had been at Hogwarts and in the Order. Though Charlie was technically not actually in the Order, she may as well have been. She spent her time at St. Mungo's helping to deal with the injuries Order members and other witches and wizards sustained during fights with Death Eaters, putting her potions expertise to good use, rather than trying her very small amount of patience discussing battle tactics in a dusty old room in the HQ.

Hence she wasn't counted as a member but knew most of their goings on through all her friends who were.

"Funny isn't it, that there are good things about these dark times. I doubt I would have seen you again if Dumbledore hadn't called us both to fight for him again." Charlie said thoughtfully.

"Every cloud has a silver lining." Naomi said philosophically, sipping her green tea.

**Hello! This is my first story and I hope you shall enjoy it. The first few chapters are a sort of introduction. So I hope you will continue reading this and also please R&R.**


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